Posts Tagged ‘blogging’
Blog Marketing 101: 5 Ways To Promote Your Blog
Content is king. The better quality your content, the bigger chance you have of gaining more readers and getting recognition for your work. In a perfect world, we would spend the majority of our time developing content instead of worrying about other aspects of the blogging business. Unfortunately, you can’t just sit on your content and expect people to find your work. You have to actively promote your blog and top posts to see real results. Some bloggers throw money at the problem, while others use all the channels available to them to drive traffic to their blogs.
Here is what’s beautiful about the blogging business: The playing field is more leveled in this industry than others. Setting up a website, writing good content, and connecting with others are things you can do easily these days. Besides, there are plenty of ways to reach out to other bloggers and get your content in front of more people. Here are 5 no-brainer ways to do just that:
- Get started with Guest Posting: guest posting is a must do for all aspiring bloggers. It can not only help you build relationships with other bloggers, it gets your work in front of new sets of audiences. You want to make sure you put your best foot forward. But if you have taken time to write some super high quality blog posts on your own website, guest posts can help you take your blog to the next level. Read more »
How To: Improve Your Post Quality with PaperRater
Have you ever been in a situation where you have to meet a couple of deadlines in one day and can’t possibly get it done without doing things faster? We have all been there before. Maybe you have 5 blogs that you need to write posts for in one day and just do not have enough time to even blink. As a blogger you should not cut corners. But, when you are in a hurry, it’s so easy to make simple mistakes and miss them when editing your posts. If you have the budget for a dedicated editor, you probably don’t have to worry about that. But a lot of bloggers do not have that luxury, which means they end up editing their posts by themselves. That’s when having an easy-to-use post-editor is helpful. Paper Rater is an innovative service that is designed to help bloggers edit their posts, catch those grammar and spelling errors, and improve the quality of their blogs fast.
Paper Rater’s main audience may be college students, but as a blogger you can get some real value out of this service. It’s a free service that analyzes your paper for grammar and spelling errors and even tells you ways you can improve the way you have put things in your posts. Read more »
5 Ways To Think Big with Your Blog
Credit: lusi
There are many people in the corporate world who are not happy with what they do everyday or the company they work for. I tend to believe that you either love what you do or you shouldn’t be doing it. Life is too short to do things that do not make you happy and feel fulfilled. Figuring out what you are passionate about could be a challenge, but once you know what it is that you want to spend most of your time on, there is no reason to do anything else. I have met many people who know they are in the wrong field and don’t take any action. One way to do something about it all is by starting a blog on the topic that you are passionate about. That’s what motivated me to launch my own company. I would have never given up my corporate job If I hadn’t started blogging a few years ago. I admit I didn’t have the best plan when I started my first blog. But these days there are plenty of case studies that you can go through to learn how to put your best foot forward. Times have truly changed.
It still surprises me when I meet people who don’t take blogging seriously. Many seem to have this perception that blogging is not a serious business and doesn’t provide any real benefits to those who are doing it. That can’t be further from the truth. Even if we disregard all those people who are making six figures with their blogs, there are still plenty of bloggers who find new opportunities and meet new people through their blog. You never know who you’d meet and what doors they could do for you.
1. Blogging is not a waste of time: anyone who thinks of blogging as a waste of time has some reading and thinking to do. You shouldn’t wait for the blogging business to become too mature before getting in on it all. It’s true that if you blog about the wrong topics (especially things that don’t matter), you are wasting your time and your readers’ time. But if you are writing about what you are passionate about and put your best effort forward, there is no reason you can’t get value out of your blog. Whether it’s getting speaking gigs, finding partnership opportunities, or landing job offers, the sky’s the limit if you have a blog that focuses on providing value to your readers.
Redanyway: Share and Find Ideas For Your Blog
Many new bloggers complain about their content not getting enough exposure right off the bat. Some expect people to just show up everything a new blog post goes live. That can’t be further from the truth. It’s true that if your blog is popular, your visitors are going to find out about your top and new blog posts faster. But you should always give people a way to connect with your blog and share your content. Redanyway is a cool service that lets you take your blog to the next level and build a more solid community around your blog. Best of all, it gives your blog the exposure it needs to attract and retain more traffic.
Redanyway is like Twitter for blogs. You can not only share your own blog posts with the world and get people to follow your blog, you can also discover what other bloggers have to say. You can even develop ideas by figuring out what other bloggers are talking about and what seems to be popular in your niche. Read more »
There is More To Your Blog Than You Think!
It’s surprising how many people come to believe that you can make money from your blogs with just ads. Just put up a blog and put Adsense on them, and you are good to go. But that’s a Hollywood story. You are not going to make too much money with ads. There are people who claim they do, but you don’t have to look too far to figure out their strategy. All these folks have other avenues to earn money online. They are writing books, creating premium products, and doing all kinds of things to make money online. I am not suggesting that you should stop putting ads on your blog. That’s ultimately between you and your readers. If they don’t prefer to see ads on your blog, that’s probably something you should consider. But ads may pay your hosting bills, but they shouldn’t be your only source.
Blogging is a great way to gain exposure online. If you keep providing value to your readers, you are going to gain more of them, and that will allow you to build a larger, tighter community. But at some point, you’ve got to stop looking at your readers as potential clicks and more as folks who are interested in knowing more about what you have to say. If you spend your days researching online and sharing your thoughts with people, you might as well try to give them more in exchange for some cash. And in order to do that, you’ve got to work on your branding. You’ve got to brand yourself and work on complimentary products that provide more value to your readers and make you some revenue on the side. The more value you provide on your blog, and the more trust your build with your readers, the more powerful your brand becomes, and the better chance you have of making money from your premium works.
With that in mind, here are a few ways to make money from your blog, besides using Adsense:
- Premium Video: premium videos are a great way to make money online. Take SEOmoz. They have free videos available to their members, but they also sell premium SEO courses. And why not! They have one of the best brands in the SEO world.
- Membership: depending on your niche, you may be able to monetize your blog by creating a premium membership service for those who are interested in getting more information and are willing to pay for it. Make sure you provide real value before charging people for your content. Create tools, reports, and even software programs to create an effective membership site.
- Podcast: creating your own podcast may not generate instant revenue for your blog, but you can always sign up sponsors. And you can also create audio courses from your Podcasts. You can also provide your podcast archives available to your fans for a free.
- Book: you can also take a page out of Darren Rowse’s books and write a book. Not everyone can do that. And Darren has one of the best brands in the blogging world to back his book up.
- Product: any other type of product that provides your customers with some value can generate you revenue. Some folks have started teaching people how to start a video blog. Others are selling courses on the basics of promoting blogs on the Internet. The sky’s the limit here. Think outside the box!
There you have it. You don’t need Google Adsense to make a killing online. If you have had a blog for a few years, you probably have enough content to create a product of your own without having to start from scratch.
Your take: when are you planning to offer your first product online? Please share!
What To Do When You’re Stuck
Blogging sounds easy on the surface. Most folks who have never blogged in their lives look at super bloggers and come to believe that everyone can become a successful blogger. Here is the thing. There is nothing holding you back from becoming an amazing blogger. But it won’t be easy. Not by a long shot. Even the most passionate bloggers hit roadblocks on their way to success. When you are starting a blog, you’d like to think you are going to have something new to say every single day. But you won’t. Trust me!
The key to success in blogging is finding ways to provide values to your readers without rehashing your old content or imitating other top bloggers. Once you get started with blogging, you are so excited about your new adventure that you will have a lot of energy to write blogs and network with other bloggers. But after a few weeks, you are going to run out of obvious post ideas, and you may even become a bit jaded. What do you do then? This is where super bloggers stand out. Newbie bloggers easily get discouraged and give up on their dreams. You don’t have a post to write, so you just spend hours and hours thinking why you don’t have something to say. A true blogging superstar gets out and figures out how they can expand their horizon and write no-so-obvious posts.
Here is what I do when I am out of ideas. I start reading a totally new RSS feed. Something that I am not familiar with. Something that is not about blogging, technology, or anything close. You have probably seen my posts on MMA & blogging or Tennis & blogging. I came up with those posts when I was reading Yahoo! sports. Now, I admit that I wasn’t out of ideas for my posts, but I wanted to try something new on this blog. Superbloggers are constantly researching and learning new things to discuss with their readers. Everybody can write “obvious posts.” But the true challenge comes after you have written your first 100 posts. That’s when you are going to realize what it takes to be a top blogger. It takes more than passion to succeed in the blogging world. You’ve got to have the discipline, creativity, and a never-die attitude to make it.
Your take: how do you come up with new ideas when you are stuck?
How To Get Good At Blogging!
Like any career, when you start blogging, your goal should be to be the best you can be. The higher you set your goals, the better chance you will have of achieving success in your career. A lot of folks tend to look at the guys at the top and get discouraged by the amount of work and effort they have to put forth to get in a position to have a shot at stardom. Being a star doesn’t usually happen overnight, but if you ask the guys at the top, it’s really worth it.
But how do you get to the top? It’s really simple. But studying the masters in your field. Think about it. When a guy like Manning plans for his next football game, does he go in without any preparation? Blogging is a game too. If you want to become a star, you’ve got to diligently study the latest trends in your industry. Not only that, you’ve got to take a look at what the superstars are doing in your industry. By watching these guys carefully, you can figure out what they are doing right and what mistakes they are making that you should avoid. Here are the steps that I personally take to dissect what the top guys are doing:
- Blog Analysis: I analyze the top blogs in my market. I try to figure out their strengths and weaknesses. What makes them unique and what is the key deciding factor for readers who continue reading those blogs. What makes these readers loyal? If you can figure that out, there is no reason you can’t be successful in this business.
- Blog Structure: I try to put myself in position of the authors of these blogs to figure out how and why they structure their blogs the way they have.
- Writing Style: your writing style can be the difference between becoming a hit or failing miserably in the blogging business. If you are not sure what writing style works, study the top guys to figure out what they have in common.
- Angles: you should never try to be a copycat. You may achieve some modest success but copycat techniques only work for a short period of time. Why would people settle for a copycat when they can go to the real thing? I always try to compare top blogs to figure out from what angles they are approaching their topics, and how I can differentiate myself from them.
- Promotional tactics: there are so many tracking tools out there that it’s inexcusable to not spy on top bloggers. You should try to figure out what these guys are doing to drive traffic to their sites (SEO, PPC, SMO, other). You are not going to find everything, but you will find some nuggets that you can use for your own blog.
- Partnerships: by looking at who top bloggers are partnering with, you can get ideas about how to form your own partnerships. The same rule applies to sponsorships.
There are many other things you can look into to figure out what top bloggers are doing right. The deeper you get with this process the more valuable information you are going to find. You don’t have to read books to get good at blogging. You don’t even have to listen to the experts. Just watch what they do!
Are You A Pain Taker?
You better be if you want to make it in the blogging world. I was lucky to start blogging in 2004, when blogging was something fairly new. The blogging world has changed in the past few years. We have had a social media explosion, and Twitter has become its own monster in the past few months. Let’s not forget Facebook either. But for bloggers, all this means more pain. Blogging from bed may be a dream for most folks, but in reality, blogging for a living can be tougher than any 9-5 job.
As a blogger, not only should you be concerned about writing valuable content, but also promoting and growing your business. And keeping competitors off can be a challenge too. As we move deep into the Web 2.0 era, the playing field has become somewhat leveled. Folks who swiftly adopt the new technologies in conjunction with a dedication-to-innovation philosophy can suddenly challenge the traditional star bloggers. Managing change can be quite painful if you haven’t dealt with it before.
As you grow your blog, you should be careful about expansion pains as well. In truth, you can’t expect to dedicate yourself to your blog 100% and keep doing your non-core chores too. If your strength is writing content, that’s where you should focus. Whether you decide to outsource your processes or hire folks can dramatically change the nature of your business venture. Dealing with employees and outsourcing partners can be fun, but it comes with its very own challenges.
Can you Take the Pain?
That’s, in my opinion, the biggest game changer there is in this business. I have learned that very fact from the former UFC champion, Forrest Griffin. He is not the flashiest fighter. He is not the best striker, neither is he the best grappler. But as he keeps saying, he is willing to take more pain than anyone else. That has allowed him to grind down opponents that were more talented than him on the paper. The blogging business can be lonely and frustrating at times. The easy way would be to quit blogging and going back to a 9-5 job. But in reality, I’d rather take the pain and keep my freedom. And you wouldn’t know how your story ends if you quit today, now would you?
How To Dig Blogging Ideas with Keyword Elite
Coming up for new blogging ideas can be a challenge, even for blogging superstars. Blogging is very similar to falling in love with someone. At first, your relationship is going strong, but after a while you will have to try new things and make a bigger effort to keep the relationship strong.
Blogging is the same way. At first, you are so excited about writing about what you love. You keep coming up with different ideas and life can’t be better. But once you have written a hundred or so posts on your blog, you can almost feel the need to change things around and coming up with new ideas to spice things up.
One way to spice things up on your blog is by finding what folks are searching for in your niche. I am not just talking about keyword phrases, but question and issues in your niche. For instance, if folks are searching for the word “fraud.” You can use every man’s and woman’s best friend, Google, to find out about fraud issues in your niche.
Research has shown that you have a better chance of connecting with your visitors if you specifically address their questions and concerns. It’s nice to read a create blog post, but you don’t have to be that creative to answer the questions folks are asking.
Digging up Ideas with Keyword Elite
Keyword Elite is one of my favorite tools to dig up ideas for my blogs. K-Elite was originally created to help PPC marketers to create massive keyword lists and spy on their competitors. But it can do much more than that. K-Elite allows you to dig up thousands of keywords for every niche and find out exactly what’s hot and what’s not.
Keyword Elite allows you to use the following engines to dig up keyword phrases for your niche:
- Ask.com
- Yahoo!
- WordTracker
You can also tap into meta tags and misspelled keywords in you niche to find out more ideas. My favorite keyword phrases are questions. Many folks type their questions in Google to find answers for them. Having access to this kind of information allows you to design your blog posts in a way that specifically addresses their needs.
Keyword Elite is not the only tool that you can use to come up with blogging ideas, but it is a very powerful nevertheless. Knowing what to write about is only one part of the equation. You’ll actually have to sit down and write valuable content on it too 
Do You Have Blog Phobia?
A lot of people are afraid of the smallest things such as spiders. But being afraid of blogging? Nah! That can’t be real, right? It’s true. I have talked to many folks who really really want to start a blog. But they keep allowing their fears to get in the way. Love and fear are the two most powerful feelings for us humans, and sometimes one manages to dominate the other. But it is all up to you to decide which one.
People tell me that they “love” blogging and talking about their passion, but they are “afraid” of the unknown. How are they going to manage the technical stuff? How are they going to seek sponsorships? How will people receive their work? How will the blog affect their employment status? How are they going to keep their identity secret?
It would be hypocritical of me to claim that I didn’t have some of those feeling before I started my first blog. I was looking for a job at the time and didn’t want to destroy my chances of getting a job. I had loans and a family, and sometimes you have to make sacrifices. In my case, I realized that blogging could help me provide a better life for my family. I also was confident that I was passionate enough about this career to pursue it without any regrets.
Everyone has fears and dreams. But unless you put your fears aside, you are not going to have a chance to realize your dreams. My question for folks who are scared of starting their blog is this: “what is the worst that can happen?” There is nothing worse in life than getting old and realizing that you haven’t followed your dreams when you had the chance. Not everyone is lucky to achieve all their dreams but it is a shame if you don’t even go for them.
You can always live with being afraid of spiders or heights. But I can’t imagine myself being able to live with the thought of being too afraid to reach for my dreams. Can you?
